This invention relates to a print engine. The invention has particular application in a print engine for use in an instantaneous print, digital camera. More particularly, the invention relates to a capping mechanism for such a print engine.
It is desirable to make digital cameras as compact as possible so that it is easier to carry such cameras around. One of the ways of making the camera compact is to reduce the size of the power source. It will be appreciated that, normally, the power source will be a battery pack and to reduce the size of the battery pack, for example by using fewer batteries, would result in a more compact camera.
In order to do so, it is desirable to omit high power consumption components from the camera and, more particularly, its print engine.
According to the invention, there is provided a capping mechanism for a print engine, the capping mechanism including
a capping means mountable in alignment with a printhead of the print engine, the capping means being displaceable into and out of abutment with the printhead for capping and uncapping the printhead, respectively;
an urging means which acts on the capping means for displacing the capping means; and
a mechanical displaceable element which co-operates with the urging means such that, when the element is in a parked position, the element engages the urging means to cause the capping means to be displaced into abutment with the printhead to cap the printhead and, when the displaceable element is out of its parked position, the capping means is urged by the urging means out of abutment with the printhead.
The printhead is, preferably, a page width printhead, the capping means including a rib of a resiliently flexible material to abut against the printhead when the capping means is in a capping position. By xe2x80x9cpage widthxe2x80x9d is meant that the printhead prints one line at a time on the print media without traversing the print media, or rastering, as the print media moves past the printhead.
The rib may be carried on a carrier. Then, the urging means may act on the carrier.
The urging means may include an elongate element which is held captive in the carrier and a biasing means acting on the elongate element for biasing the urging means and, hence, the capping means to an uncapped position.
The elongate element may comprise a torsion bar arrangement having an arm at each end.
The mechanical displaceable element may be a separating means, such as a cutter wheel, which separates a piece of print media, after printing of an image by the print engine on the piece of print media, from a supply of the print media. The separating means may be displaceable in a direction parallel to the printhead and the separating means may include an engaging means which engages one of the arms of the torsion bar arrangement, when the separating means is in its parked position, to urge the arm against the action of the biasing means to drive the capping mechanism into its capped position.
The engaging means may be a cam member carried by the separating means. More particularly, the cutter wheel may be carried on a mounting block, which is driven by a worm gear to traverse the printhead. Then the mounting block may include the cam member such that, when the mounting block is moved to its parked position, the cam member engages the arm of the torsion bar arrangement for displacing the torsion bar arrangement, against the action of the biasing means, such that the capping mechanism is urged into abutment with the printhead.